The sea was restless that night. You’d fallen asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs of Castle Caladan, lulled by the soft, steady hum of rain against the windows. For once, there had been peace.

Until the peace broke.

You woke to a roar that shook the walls, a violent shudder that rattled the floor beneath your bed. The night was torn open by fire and the sharp clang of alarms ringing through the halls.

“Up—now!” Lady Jessica’s voice cut sharp through the din, her silhouette framed in the doorway, dark hair sleek, eyes glinting like steel in the flickering light.

Paul was already there. Breathless, barefoot, having pulled on his casual sleepwear in his haste. He grabbed your arm before you could even find your bearings, pulling you from the sheets. “They’ve come,” he said, voice low but urgent. “Harkonnen.”

The word curdled in your stomach.

Another explosion lit the night beyond the windows — orange fire blooming against Caladan’s rain-soaked skies. The castle shook again, stone groaning under the assault.

You stumbled into the corridor with him, the sound of guards shouting, steel meeting steel echoing down the hall. Paul kept you close, hand locked around yours like he’d never let go, even as shadows darted and chaos erupted around you.

“Stay with me,” he breathed, his face close, eyes dark and alive with a fury you’d never seen in him before. For just a heartbeat, the boy was gone, replaced by something harder, sharper — the leader he was being forged into.

The far wall cracked, spraying dust across the torchlit passage. You stumbled, coughing, but Paul hauled you upright again. His chest heaved, but his voice never broke. “Don’t fall behind.”

Jessica swept ahead of you both, commanding, unyielding. But even as she barked orders, her gaze cut back once to Paul, then to you — and in her eyes you saw it. Fear.

Somewhere below, another blast tore through the cliffs, and the sound of the sea was drowned by the war now crashing into Caladan’s heart.

And in the middle of it all — Paul turned, steadying you as the walls shook again. His grip tightened. His voice steadied.

“They won’t take you,” he promised. “Not while I breathe.”